The behavior of masonry shear walls is fundamental in the design of masonry buildingssubjected to different actions, namely of seismic nature. The usage of unreinforced, confinedor reinforced masonry is currently subjected to a strong debate in Europe due to the newcodes. In particular, the part of Eurocode 8 (Design of structures for earthquake resistance)related to masonry structures is only a limited compromise for the different countries. A largetesting program was started at University of Minho in order to clarify issues regardingconfined masonry and unfilled vertical joints. Confined masonry is assumed as a hybridmaterial joining masonry with small section horizontal and vertical lightly reinforced concreteelements. This project, partly sponsored by the light-weight concrete block industry, aims atdefining adequate structural solutions for regions of low to high seismicity in Portugal.This paper discusses the results of the experimental program, consisting mainly of masonrywalls subjected to cyclic actions and constant pre-compression. Sixteen specimens areconsidered, being the shear strength, ductility, energy dissipation and stiffness discussed.The key aspects under discussion are: (a) the possibility of replacing the filling of the verticaljoints by interlocking and horizontal bed joint reinforcement, (b) the need for filling verticaljoints in confined masonry solutions.
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